The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Anyanwu, has dismissed the endorsement of his rival by the PDP Governors’ Forum, insisting that he remains the legitimate occupant of the position.
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard on Friday night, Anyanwu maintained that the Governors’ Forum is not an official organ of the party, and its endorsement carries no legal weight.
The PDP scribe rejected the communique issued by the Governors’ Forum after its recent meeting, stating that their decision was politically motivated and likely made to satisfy the interests of certain party members.
“First and foremost, the PDP Governors’ Forum is not an organ of our party, so I’m unperturbed by the communique they issued after their meeting. One fact remains: I am the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party,” he said.
Henzodaily reports that he added that the Governors’ Forum is merely a pressure group within the party and does not have the constitutional authority to dictate who holds leadership positions.
“Remember, the Governors’ Forum is just one out of several pressure groups in our party. You can see even the communique they issued is adverse. There’s a likelihood that they did what they did to satisfy Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State,” Anyanwu added.
Anyanwu emphasized that the court ruling is in his favour, citing a recent Appeal Court decision granting a stay of execution on an earlier judgment that sought to remove him from office.
The former governorship candidate said, “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and our courts remain supreme in such matters. The Appeal Court gave an order for a stay of execution of an earlier judgment, and the court’s current position is clearly in my favor. There is absolutely nothing to worry about.”
He further declared that he is fully complying with the court order, and any attempt to recognize another person as National Secretary would not stand legally.
The embattled PDP scribe also stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still recognizes him as the legitimate National Secretary of the party and will not acknowledge any other individual claiming the position.
He stated, “I’m complying with this court order, and in case they are not aware, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not recognize any other person besides me as PDP National Secretary.”